CHAPTER 70……………………………….
The Land of Monsters (1)
How much could it really hurt, when it was just this tiny hand hitting him?
I gave a bitter smile as I rubbed Calion’s forehead.
“You grew up too fast, Calion.”
“…Huh?”
“Thinking that people always need to be useful.”
Of course, the adults had piled all sorts of political reasons onto this child.
But me—I just wanted Calion to be safe.
Just innocent and happy. Like any normal child.
Then I felt a twinge of embarrassment.
Mm. I got so worked up over the gossip about me that I didn’t even notice.
When I first arrived here…
I’d seen the way Calion’s eyes turned cold whenever Ares complained about his family.
I really should reflect on myself. Get it together, twenty-year-old brain.
I pulled myself together and comforted him with sincerity.
“Calion. That day, just having you by my side was enough.”
“……”
“And if you had rushed in, you could’ve been in danger. You were careful. That’s what matters.”
There were far more demons who looked at Calion with hostility. One wrong move, and it could’ve ended badly.
I coaxed him by slipping a cookie into his mouth.
“Got it? You don’t need to burden yourself with thoughts like that.”
Calion reluctantly chewed and swallowed the cookie, then answered slowly.
“Yes, Lady Sion.”
“Good, good. Such a good boy.”
“I won’t whine about it anymore…”
“No, it’s not whininggg.”
You rascal—you didn’t understand a word I said, did you?
I sighed deeply and patted his shoulder.
“Forget it, Calion. Just eat more cookies.”
“Hehe, yes. But, Lady Sion…”
“Mmm, whaat.”
“Do you… need the bloodstones in that mine?”
“…!”
I froze, the cookie I was about to feed him stopping midair.
Calion darted his eyes, watching me nervously.
“When Countess Terraine first told you about them, you seemed… interested.”
“……”
Ares might have animal-like instincts, but this boy—why was he so perceptive too?
At this point, it’s scary. Scary.
I shook my head firmly.
“No. I don’t need them.”
I had to be clear. Otherwise, he’d probably insist on going to find bloodstones himself.
He’s already worrying whether he deserves to be here.
I couldn’t let him get swept up in something like this.
“So don’t trouble yourself with that either.”
“……”
“Here, ahhh. Eat the cookie.”
I shoved the cookie into his mouth and prayed silently.
Please. Just let him stay like a child.
Nothing broke your heart more than a child forced to grow up too soon.
Calion accepted the cookie quietly.
But in the end, he never gave me the one answer I was waiting for—“I understand.”
That night, after confessing his worries to Sion, Calion sat in his darkened room, hugging his knees.
“…I shouldn’t have said anything.”
That he was anxious.
That he feared falling behind Ares, afraid he wouldn’t be cherished.
Of course Lady Sion comforted me.
Because she was kind.
Because she worried for me.
But Calion himself knew better than anyone how others saw him.
A prince left behind as a hostage.
Sion once told him, “From now on, it’s okay to lean on others.”
But he couldn’t bring himself to believe it completely.
He could only stay by her side if he proved his worth.
“……”
Calion gazed silently out the window.
From there, the barren mine was just barely visible.
Staring at that desolate sight, he made a quiet vow.
…Alright.
If an opportunity came, he would find some way—any way—to be of help to Sion.
I gazed in awe at a place sparkling like a toy castle against the twilight sky.
“Wow…!”
It was the day of the event at Orpheum Academy.
The Academy’s structure was crowned with several sharp spires, nestled between lake and forest, making for an idyllic setting.
Students in uniforms bustled about in a lively rush.
It had the same liveliness as Kore, but with a very different charm.
The concert was held in an outdoor venue where fireflies, true to the concert’s name, would rise with the music.
We received a very polite welcome from the Academy’s headmaster and were seated in the place of honor.
I pointed to the faint white shapes drifting across the glittering night lake.
“Rete, what’s that?”
Rete nodded knowingly.
“Those must be trading ships.”
“Ohh—ships headed south?”
“Yes. Even on the day of the festival, they still sail.”
But there wasn’t much time to marvel.
Because yet again, people were lining up to greet me.
Some faces I even recognized from the capital.
Olive-toned skin, flashy gold-embroidered clothes…
“It’s an honor to greet you again, Princess of Erebos.”
“Leader of Creusa… Laocoön Creusa?”
I nearly pointed at him in shock.
Why are YOU here?!
Reading my expression, Laocoön gave a sly smile.
“We are on our way home, Princess. Since the Nestor family shares the same route, we traveled together.”
“Ahh! Well, it’s nice to see you again too.”
“The honor is mine. The children behind me are heirs of other merchant groups.”
At his introduction, the nervous children chorused their greetings.
Some of their faces looked oddly familiar.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Princess!”
“Thank you for saving us that day, Princess of the Demons!”
“Oh, hello everyone.”
Of course. Some of them must’ve been there during the incident.
But then…
“Laocoön.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Those brooches everyone’s wearing on their chests…”
“Oh, these?”
He fiddled with the little brooch pinned to his national garb.
A black rose, tied with a gold ribbon…
“Lady Nestor gave them to us.”
“Uhp…!”
“As we traveled together, we bonded over stories of you, Princess.”
Behind him, the chattering children all wore the same brooch.
I gave up and closed my eyes.
“…Right. Well, enjoy the concert.”
“Yes, Princess. This will be our first time experiencing a Tartarus concert—we look forward to it.”
“Mm. Good.”
I forced a smile and greeted the noisy children.
Countess Terraine looked on at the Iliod group with surprise.
“My, my. How unusual, for them to attend a demon-hosted event.”
“They don’t usually?”
“Hm, no.”
The Countess smiled bitterly.
“To humans, the land of demons has only ever been a place to earn money and leave.”
“Oh.”
“They rarely cared for our culture. Some even called it barbaric.”
Her words silenced me.
I really must be a demon princess now.
It hurt, hearing others saw this land as nothing but a place to profit from. The prejudice of calling it barbaric stung just as much.
But then I glanced at the boys beside me.
Ares and Calion.
Sometimes they bicker like there’s resentment, but… between the two of them, isn’t it a good relationship?
Down below, Laocoön’s group was happily chatting with the Nestor sisters.
I didn’t know what they were saying, but the mood was cheerful.
If it’s these kids, maybe when they grow up, they won’t just see Tartarus as a place for money.
That thought gave me a small sense of comfort.
Just then, with the music, golden fireflies began to drift lazily up from the grass.
It was the students’ first performance.
“Ahh…”
I let out a small breath of awe at the beauty.
Even Ares, who I’d worried wouldn’t sit still, raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Everyone here seemed equally enchanted by the moment.
“This is wonderful…”
My mind went completely blank in an instant.
Isn’t this what I’ve been dreaming of?
A place where everyone is at peace. Where no one dies, no one gets hurt.
A fleeting moment where differences are forgotten, and coexistence feels real…
At last, the rich melody ended.
As everyone applauded, I leapt to my feet and clapped with all my strength.
Unable to hold back my excitement, I turned eagerly to the two boys beside me.
“Calion, Ares! Did you like it too?”
Ares, though clearly moved, shrugged as if pretending otherwise.
“…It was listenable.”
“Reeeally? What about you, Calion?”
“……”
“Calion?”
He frowned, eyes fixed straight ahead.
Was he not enjoying it?
“Calion? What’s wrong?”
“…Ah. Lady Sion.”
Calion’s blue eyes glittered.
Then he leaned closer, whispering so only I could hear.
“Count Stenel… I think he’s with someone from Iliod right now.”
